Review: 2009 Scion tC

When Scion first introduced the tC sporty coupe, we wondered how it would fit into a range of vehicles aimed at younger urbanites. A low-slung sporty coupe seemed at odds with the boxy xA and xB that, along with a hefty marketing campaign, ushered Toyota’s youth brand into North America for the 2004 model year.

Scion was designed to inject a much-needed dose of youth into Toyota’s portfolio and, at least according to Toyota, the brand has by and large succeeded. Perhaps not quite as funky as their marketing campaigns have made them out to be, the xB and xD (which replaced the xA) have helped create a niche that other Japanese automakers – namely Honda, Nissan and now Kia – scrambled to fill.

Yet the two-door coupe tC shares nothing with its brothers – in fact, many an enthusiast has quipped that the other two Scions look like the boxes the tC should come in.

We decided to explore the Scion tC’s capabilities both in urban areas, where the target demographic is said to reside, and in the curvy roads found in the countryside – where sporty coupes tend to shine.

What is it?
Based on the platform of the Toyota Avensis sold in Europe, the tC in many ways replaced the slow-selling, heritage-laced Toyota Celica coupe at its 2005 model-year introduction. It is designed to be the opposite of what mainstream Toyotas have become: An evocative, sporty car aimed at enthusiasts.

What’s it up against?
The tC plays in a pretty competitive battlefield that brings with it a motley cast of characters. Direct competitors range the gamut, from the Mini Cooper to the Volkswagen Rabbit and GTI, representing two-box cars, to the Mitsubishi Eclipse and coupe versions of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Honda Civic, representing more traditional interpretations of the segment.

The tC, starting at an even $17,000, undercuts all but the base levels of the Cobalt, Civic and Rabbit on price. Standard glass moonroof, 17 inch alloy wheels and a Pioneer audio system give the Scion a lead in the value category, too.

Any breakthroughs?
Not really. The tC does come packed with features and offers an extensive array of dealer-installed accessories, though we think Kia is doing a better job of marketing the upcoming Soul to the personalization market.

If anything, the tC is a bit behind the times thanks to its five-speed manual, four-speed automatic combination. Most of its rivals offer an additional gear in at least one transmission.

How does it look?
The tC is an attractive, if conservative, little coupe. Our Sizzling Crimson Mica test car – we didn’t make up that color name – was definitely a looker thanks to the eye-grabbing paint scheme. It really popped in the sunlight that only appeared for a few minutes during our week-long evaluation.

The tC hasn’t changed much since its introduction, so the look is becoming a bit bland by virtue of its age. Scion updated the tail lamps for ‘08, but otherwise things are as they were at its introduction.

A snubnose front helps give the tC the sort of short-overhang look that befits a sporty small car. You won’t see that style on the Eclipse or Cobalt. It’s low on flashy décor – a set of glimmering fog lamps might help up front, though our tester did come with an optional rear pedestal spoiler. Opinions were mixed.

And on the inside?
Again, the tC is a bit conservative given its intended audience and flashy marketing. The tC’s interior is composed of dark gray fabric spiced up with the occasional silver-painted plastic trim.

Seats are comfortable but not exactly sporty – the bolsters are weak for a car aimed at the enthusiast market. A nice, firm three-spoke steering wheel and hooded gauges help, as does an interesting dial and button combination for the climate control, which isn’t automatic despite the digital display. The driver’s seat is adjustable for height, but not the passenger’s seat – we wish they both were, since even shorter riders were close to rubbing the ceiling.

The back seat offers surprising space – far more than any other two-door in the segment, bar the Mini Cooper Clubman. Legroom exceeded that of most small sedans, let alone coupes.

Our tester came with a $2,010 Pioneer navigation system – perhaps the most difficult to program device we’ve ever encountered. We’re not exactly technophobes here at Leftlane, but the tC’s head unit made our heads hurt just to turn it on. No on/off switch, no volume knob and a convoluted menuing system added up to the ergonomically worst factory audio system we’ve ever used. Maybe it resonates with the target demographic, but we doubt it. Better to stick with the standard head unit and an aftermarket portable navigation system, anyway.

Otherwise, the interior is a decent place to whittle away the miles.

Storage-wise, tC offers a shallow but wide storage area behind the rear seats that was covered by a thin shade to keep prying eyes out.

But does it go?
Our tester featured an optional $525 TRD Sport Muffler, another extra-cost feature we’d pass on unless you like the buzzy sound popular among souped-up Japanese cars. At higher speeds, it makes a nice little growl, but around town it’s just too intrusive – and not in a good, snarling way like a raspy older Saab or a rumble like the 2010 Mustang GT we recently tested. On the highway, it drones tirelessly thanks to the lack of a sixth gear.

The tC features the 160-horse 2AZ-FE 2.4-liter four-cylinder that also does duty in Toyota’s Camry, Matrix and Corolla. Oddly, the Camry five-speed rates a significant four mpg higher on the highway than the 20/27 city/highway figures the EPA bestows on the tC.

The motor is fairly torquey for a Japanese four-cylinder due to its 163 lb-ft. of torque peaking at a relatively low 4,000 rpm. We had no problem motoring around town, even starting from second gear, or accelerating up to highway speeds, though the gearing required downshifting out of fifth for pretty much any passing.

We weren’t expecting such heavy steering when we first got behind the wheel of the tC and we still wonder if Scion’s tuning was appropriate. A stiff chassis and firm, borderline punishing suspension made the tC a nice handler on curving country roads, though the heavy steering actually began to prove burdensome because it was so intent on returning to center. Not helping the situation was a dearth of tangible feel, a problem that plagues most front-wheel-drive cars. We think Scion would be better off lightening up the steering and reducing its tendency to return to center because the tC has a balanced chassis that, overall, makes it more fun to drive than most of its rivals.

Around town, we wished for much softer suspension tuning, however. What helped grip the road in the twisties thumped and bumped over every small pothole in urban areas. It’s not harsh and rough, but it’s stiff and less-than-compliant, making it feel like the tC had no shock absorbers to speak of. Blame the low-profile tires (205/45-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE92s), the stiff shocks, the thick antiroll bars or the stiff springs. Something needs to give a little more.

Our tester’s five-speed manual was a little grumbly in cold weather, but we’ll chalk that up to relatively high miles for a press vehicle. Its clutch was stiff enough that day-to-day driving might wear on you, but it featured an easy-to-find sweet spot.

We’ll give the tC a few more points for its strong, fade-free four-wheel disc brakes. Among the best we’ve seen on a budget-conscious car, they provide similar feel and strength to much more expensive, dedicated sports cars.

Overall, the tC is a capable platform that needs to be sent to finishing school. It put a huge smile on our faces on some roads, but it made us want to park it and ride the bus on others. If Scion could gain some of the compliance of the Golf and GTI but not lose tossability, this one would be an out-of-the-ballpark homer.

Why you would buy it:
You’re looking for a cheap, fun, sporty car and you live where the roads are all beautiful, new blacktop.

Why you wouldn’t:
Individualistic means “different, just like everyone else” to you.

Leftlane’s bottom line
The tC is a heck of a value – skip the childish navigation system and exhaust and you’ll end up with one of the most fun-to-drive cars under $20,000. We’d like to see Scion refine the ride and steering a little on tC version 2.0, but as it is, the tC makes a reasonably compelling case for itself as a budget sports car – and that’s the kind of thing that we like to see.

2009 Scion tC base price, $17,000. As tested, $21,255.
All-weather mats, $171; TRD Sport Muffler, $525; Security system, $469; Rear pedestal spoiler, $430; Navigation system, $2,010; Destination, $620.

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